Maybe that's the problem, then
by Kalio Halos
Summary: *Re-posted-clean version* It seems that everything Ranma does, gets him labeled as pervert, but what if Nabiki's right? What if its something he's not doing...
1. The problem presented

Maybe that's the problem, then...

By Kalio

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ or the RK fic called "Lessons" from which I drew my inspiration, and a few choice lines.

A/n: Well, guys this is a re-post because a later chapter was NC-17 and I had to take it down. But, this is the cleaner version and it can be posted so later chapters can be posted, too for the group of people who wanted to know what happened. So, no flames, please, and enjoy!

"HENTAI!"

The door of Akane's room could be heard slamming across the house. "Sounds like you did something wrong, Ranma." Ranma flinched, then rounded on Nabiki, who was calmly reading a magazine.

"You saw that! I didn't do anything! I didn't even touch her!" Ranma pointed, exasperated, at the stairs which Akane flew up just a few moments before. A small corner of Nabiki's mouth turned up slightly. She licked her finger, turned the page and continued reading, now with a barely distinguishable smirk showing on her face and her eyes glittering.

"Maybe that's the problem, then..."

Ranma's eyes bugged out at Nabiki's sudden opinion-sharing. "Are you CRAZY?! I didn't touch her and she called me a pervert! What's wrong with you? Do you WANT me to get killed?! She'd flay me alive! I'd never touch her!" Ranma's rant at her didn't seem to affect her in the slightest, just made her more amused.

"Oh? That must be the problem, then..." She flipped another page, obviously amused by Ranma's reaction.

A vein popped. "What?! You really are trying to get me killed! I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you! Akane's prolly up there now devising how many ways she can cook me while I'm still breathing! I can't believe I'm actually considering lis-"

Nabiki abruptly interrupted him. "Considering touching her? Oh how sweet! I'm sure she'll be pleased."

"Gah! That's not what I said! I told you! She'd spiffing kill me! Kami-sama! She's probably gonna kill me for the whole conversation! I'm a deadman already!" Ranma, in his panicked state, rambled on nervously, trying to decipher if Akane was listening or not. Nabiki just grinned.

"So what you mean is you really want to you, but she'll kill you if she thinks you have even had the thought cross your mind?"

"Ye-" Ranma stiffened, realizing he had been tricked. "Hey!" Nabiki's crocodile smile widened.

"I don't think you've got anything to worry about, Ranma." She grinned and pulled a tape recorder from her pocket, shutting it off. Ranma groaned seeing it.

"Alright. How much?" He sighed pulling out his already bare wallet, hoping he had enough.

Nabiki smiled evilly. "Sorry, little brother, this one's not for sale."

Ranma facefaulted. "What?! You can't do that to me! If Akane gets that she'll mallet me to Australia!"

Nabiki shook her head. "You still don't get it do you? You want Akane to hear this conversation, I promise you." She looked at him oddly, but with a smirk. " That is, if you ever want Akane to saya (sheath) that katana of yours." Nabiki fought to hold back her laughter.

"Eh? I don't own a katana. You mean Mother's katana?" Ranma was quite confused, understandably.

Nabiki looked him up and down and shook her head. "More like a wakizashi (the smaller sword out of a daisho, a katana being the larger one), if you ask me, but I'd have to ask Akane, I bet she knows." Nabiki giggled as Ranma finally got her joke and turned nine degrees of red.

He crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue. "Katana, thank you!" He thought for a moment. "So how does this help me not get killed?"

Nabiki smiled. "Simple. I've already told you your problem, now I just have to give Akane her tape."

Ranma frowned. "What do I do, then?"

Nabiki's eyes took an wicked glint. "Weren't you listening when I mentioned Akane's saya? Do I need to have a talk with you about sword fighting?" All the blood drained from Ranma's face.

"NABIKI!" Ranma almost shrieked.

"Just kidding! Just kidding! Don't have a heart attack on me! All you need to do is to have a SERIOUS conversion with your dear fiancée. Got it?"

Ranma still pale, just nodded.

"Good. I'll just leave Akane a little tape for a present. I think she might enjoy this part of our little discussion, too, so I'll include it as an afterthought." She pulled out another tape recorder and stopped it. Ranma's jaw dropped to the floor at the mention of having Akane listen to the whole conversation.

"Now I'm really going to get it! I won't live to see tomorrow! From now on, there will be no talking of sheathing ANYTHING in this house, or at least not anywhere near me! I'm so dead." Ranma groaned miserably.

"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma... I thought you knew my little sister better than that! Listen. Why do you suppose Akane called you a pervert?"

"Hell if I know..." he grumped. "I didn't say anything involving sayas or katanas..." he glared at Nabiki, "and I didn't touch her at all! Why in the world would she call me a pervert?!"

Nabiki shook her head for the thousandth time of the day at Ranma. "You really are dense. Think of it this way... Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kuno-baby's sister tackle you all the time, but my dear sister never does. You never hug, kiss, grope her, etc. with very few exceptions. Either on accident, or when you thought she was DEAD. Are you starting to get it yet?"

"No. All I can figure, is that her definition of 'hentai' seems to include anything and everything that I do." Ranma grumped a bit more.

"Oroko na deshi (stupid pupil)! Wake up! She's pissed that you aren't paying attention to her!" Nabiki kept a surprising amount of composure while yelling. Ranma's jaw fell to the floor again. "Don't you get it? She mad that you AREN'T hugging, kissing, or, well not groping, but touching her, fool! It's called reverse psychology, and she uses it every day! So do you, for that matter!" Nabiki smiled again. "Understand, yet? It would make perfect sense if you paid attention."

Ranma looked a little flabbergasted. "Ano... Nabiki... you mean she wants me to..."

Nabiki let Ranma trail off, but answered him quickly. "Among other things. Namely treating her with a little respect and kindness. The most important, though, is ya gotta admit ya like her, or you'll be a real pervert in her eyes."

Ranma gulped. "Lemme get this straight. I gotta tell her I luh-er- like her an' an'..."

Nabiki grinned. "And fill in the blank with whatever she lets you. Hopefully no sayaing," this earned her another glare, but she didn't seem to notice, "but that'll come soon enough! Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go deliver the tape, oh, and I might want this..." Nabiki walked over to the plant in the corner and removed a camcorder. "She'll get a kick out of the look on your face with this!" Nabiki hoped up the stairs towards Akane's room much to Ranma's dismay.

Ranma groaned and then sighed. Maybe Nabiki shouldn't tell him how to fix his problems... it often leads to a sticky situation. Course, then, this was one *sticky* situation he didn't think he'd mind getting himself into. Ranma grinned a hentai grin...

A/n: well, here it is, the first chapter... now to go edit the other ones....


	2. When she's right, she's right!

When she's right, she's right!

By Kalio

Disclaimer: same as for the first chap.

A/n: This is a bit less humorous and more romantic. In fact, the tone changes quite a bit because he's no longer dealing with Nabiki, but with Akane. Don't let that scare you, though, my friend says it's still good, so I'll try to believe her. Enjoy!

Ranma sat nervously outside of the dojo by the koi pond. After the initial rush thinking about the next huge step in his life, he began to get anxious. What if he was right and Akane really did think he was just a pervert jerk? What if Nabiki was just kidding and really did want him dead? What if... the list went on longer the longer Nabiki was in Akane's room. The biggest what-if was one he really didn't feel like sharing in his head, let alone sharing it with anyone outside of it. What if Akane wanted...? The tense ki floating around him was almost visible, sending lightning sparks in every direction. I can't do this, he thought, trying to muster up as much macho bravado as he could.

For once in his life, he failed miserably at such a task.

"Yo Ranma!" Nabiki strode across the lawn smiling gleefully. Ranma jumped around five feet in the air, almost landing in the koi pond. Nabiki grinned, expecting no less of a startled jump from the fighter.

Ranma turned toward Nabiki, furious. "Don't DO that! That time you almost did give me a heart attack!" He panted a bit then looked back up at the oh-so-pleased girl. "What do you want?"

Nabiki smiled her 'trust me' smile. "Akane invited you to her room for in around five minutes. I would get ready if I were you." She smirked a bit more for good measure.

Ranma took a deep breath to calm himself. "Alright. Did she look mad? Pissed? Plaid? How about happy? Nauseous? Did I mention pissed?" Ranma stood up and awaited her answer.

"You'll just have to go see yourself, if you want to know!" Nabiki replied bouncily. Ranma didn't like it.

"Oh. By the way, 5,000 yen."

Nabiki's jaw dropped. "What?!"

"That's the down payment on any sort of documentation you get off this, so I suggest to turn off all the gear you got in there." Ranma smirked seeing Nabiki's abashed but newly respecting face.

"Gotta hand it to ya, Saotome, that was pretty slick. Alright, you got it." She pulled out a remote and flipped one switch out of one hundred. There was a slight 'zzt' sound, and most of the buzzing produced by her surveillance equipment died. "Satisfied?"

Ranma smiled. "Not quite. If there's any evidence of what goes on up there at all, I'll still charge you, so you might want to turn off all the battery operated equipment, too."

"Damn!" Nabiki took out the remote again and flipped another switch. "Well, you got me. Have fun." She grinned at him again, but she seemed a little more deflated than before.

Ranma slowly made his way toward the house. Jumping on the roof, he walked quietly over to Akane's window and hung just outside it. Fidgeting, he cautiously knocked on the window, jarring the pane of glass. He almost fell when Akane opened it, startling him.

Akane blushed. "Hello, Ranma," she whispered. "Come on in." She stepped back, allowing Ranma to climb onto her desk and into the room.

"Hey, Akane." Ranma was a funny shade of red, but he was to freaked out to care. His head spun. "You beckoned?" Ranma took the time to notice Akane's outfit, which was odd since she was had just come back from a local kendo tournament. She wore a loose, blue kimono, a white under-kimono , and a white hakama. And, he noticed, with a thrill down his spine, bindings. Breast bindings. As opposed to a sports bra. She was slightly disheveled, but not too worse-for-wear. He took another calming breath. 'Breathe Saotome, breathe.'

"Er, yes. About that conversation with onee-chan... was it for real?" She looked up into his eyes, blush disappearing for only a moment.

He gulped. "Yeah... every word. What about you? I mean, is your sister right about reverse-psycho-bable-ology-ish stuff and whatnot?"

"...I guess so. I never really thought of it that way, but I guess she's right." Her eyes shot again to the floor.

Ranma stared at the top of her head. "Ano...does that mean you want me to-" But he was silenced by a hand over his mouth. Akane looked up into his surprised eyes.

"Don't. Remember what Nabiki said? Do you like me? Cause if you don't, then don't bother finishing that sentence."

Ranma stared for a few moments and his expression softened. "Yeah, I like you a lot, Akane. I'd love ya, but I'm not that lucky." He smiled warmly, hoping she felt the same way.

Akane grinned up at him with her eyes shimmering in happiness and tapped him on the nose. "Fill in the blank, Ranma." As close as they were, she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest as he responded to her embrace.

Ranma grinned a funny grin, and picked her up. "Hai, koishii." He set her down on the edge of her bed, so that they could sit. He felt really odd. 'I mean one minute, we're arguing and she calls me a hentai, and the next thing I know, she's practically sitting in my lap, and giving me permission to, you know, TOUCH her. Like places that clothing normally covers...' Needless to say, he felt funny and kind of perverted, but not enough to make him want to stop the whole process.

Akane nuzzled her face into the hallow of his shoulder, and hugged him tighter. Then, she looked up at him expectantly. Taking her hint, Ranma reached forward and cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her lightly, closing his eyes. She reached up and meshed her fingers through his hair, kissing him back. The two exchanged lighted kisses for a few minutes, and then Akane opened her eyes and stared devilishly at Ranma's closed eyes before brushing her tongue lightly, but insistently at his closed lips. He opened them without a fuss, pleased at her advance, and held her closer.

The pair sat together on the bed, tongues dancing to a rhythm all their own. Ranma ran his hands ever-so-lightly down her back and back up again, sending shivers down Akane's spine. She pulled away from the kiss, gasping. Then she ran a trail of short, sweet kisses down his cheek and over his neck to his shoulder, pulling back the red silk material of his Chinese shirt. It was Ranma's turn to shudder, as she blew lightly into his ear and looked back up at him with an evil smile, warmth radiating from her.

Ranma cupped her face in his hands and rubbed his thumb lightly over her cheekbone, staring intently into her eyes, searching. "Did I ever tell you out loud how much I love you?" Akane tried to blink away the tears of joy forming in her eyes, and she laughed slightly, sniffing.

"Nope. We were too busy arguing over whether it mattered to say it out loud or not!" Ranma smiled, and brushed a tear gently away, love shining in his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her nose in feather light motion, an odd gesture for a world-class martial artist, but he did it anyway, making her giggle in delight. "Silly..."

Ranma grinned. "Well then, if I never got the chance away from prying cameras and eyes, I wanted to tell you I love everything about you. Even your cooking." Before Akane could protest, he kissed her again to muffle any sort of outraged cry about her cooking, and it seemed to have worked. She leaned back onto her bed and pulled a surprised-looking cursed man down with her. (Not that he minded...) He propped himself up, trying not to crush her, and pulled back, taking his turn at placing butterfly kisses down her neck and collarbone, gently brushing her bangs off of her forehead. Her hands lightly grasped the back of his shirt while she tilted her head to the side, accepting the kisses.

"I love you, too, Ranma. Very much." She said it so quietly that he almost did not hear her. He wondered briefly if maybe she didn't want her heart broken, or if she didn't mean it, but his fears were silenced, as she lifted her head to whisper in his ear. "Even the things that drive me absolutely batty about you, I love. I want you to know that, with all my heart."

~A/n: Unfortunately, guys, in order for me to keep the rating at PG-13 (and I may move it up to R on the council of you all), I need to cut out this section. If you are over 17 and want the full version of this, the next chapter, or both, please email me at: reakakane@ragdollworks.zzn.com 

Anyway, here's the rest of the clean version!~ 

Ranma jumped out of Akane's window, and landed gracefully on the lawn. He had a lot to think about. He sat by the koi pond, much more relaxed and happy. In the middle of his thoughts about Akane, though, a sudden thought struck him.

'Man, I hate it when Nabiki's right!... well, not this time, but still!' The thought lasted approximately four seconds before his thoughts returned to Akane.


	3. Lemons can be just as sweet

Lemons can be just as sweet... 

By Kalio 

Disclaimer: See first chapter... 

A/n: Okay, here's the famous lemon third chapter with the lemon removed. This is purely here for what ever other plot is in this chapter, so, I know a huge chunk has been taken out, but that's so I can reach a bigger audience. Like I said, if you really want it, and are over 17, I can send the rest to you, but otherwise, just deal with it. Thanks, and enjoy!

Glossary for you:

Ite: ouch; Baka: idiot; Onegai: please; Demo: but; Hentai: pervert (btw: ecchi is the pronunciation of 'H', short for hentai. I just found this out, and thought you might find it interesting.); Doomo Arigato: thank you; Iinazuke: fiancé or fiancée ; Kami-sama: Lord God; Nani: what; Matte: wait; Aa: yes (informal); Koishi: dearest, paramour (I should have used koibito: lover, but I didn't feel like it.); Owari: end. If I forgot any, please let me know!

*** 

'HIYA!' Akane yelled as she released a kick meant for Ranma. Ranma jumped, dodged and blocked every attack she sent at him with great ease. It would have annoyed Akane, but she now understood that Ranma wasn't trying to annoy her today, but to actually help her train. He agreed to spar with her and give her pointers as they went. It was a good setup, minus the fact that Ranma had too much advice for too little tact. That, my friend, is what annoyed Akane. 

'You're not balanced enough... You need to move quicker... Your form needs work... You need to read my ki better if you ever hope of landing a measly punch...' Ranma somehow managed to eat his words as Akane bopped him on the head. 

'How do you expect me to get better if you only tell me things I already know?!' Akane huffed, unused to a spar without taunts, but disappointed that Ranma couldn't find a compliment to share. 

'Ite! You ungrateful tomboy!' Ranma rubbed his head a moment. 'I'm sorry... I didn't mean it. It's just... I'm not trying to insult you, but I wanted to point out everything I noticed so that we could fix it all later, ya know what I mean?' He looked at Akane for an answer, which she gave. 

'I guess, but it seems like I'm such a novice compared to you, when I used to beat up half the school population every single morning. I hate being so out-classed...' She took on a very sad face, even as she grumped. 

Ranma sighed, and sat down, with his elbows on his knees, and hands dangling in the air between, and each leg, making a triangle with the ground. 'That's why we're doing this, ne? I never want to go through Jusendo again...' His eyes started to mist a bit. (A/n: every time I read the final battle, I cry. *sniff*) 'I mean NEVER...' 

'Ranma...' Akane never knew what to say whenever this subject came up. She couldn't think of anything meaningful enough, or comforting enough to say to console him. 

He continued. 'Do you know how scary that was? I can honestly say that I thought you were dead, and my heart stopped when you didn't answer me after you were re-hydrated.' Tears were pooling in his eyes, now, but he didn't let them fall. 'You looked so cold, like you were still a doll. You didn't move, or breathe. Your heart did not beat for me...' Akane knelt and wrapped him in her embrace as a tear spilled and slid down his cheek. She rocked him back and forth a bit, trying to assure him of her life. 'But then, you woke up! And I couldn't believe that you had come back, that you survived. Now, every time I look at you, I thank the Lord God that you are safe with me instead of buried in China, somewhere.' 

'And now, I'm here with you, trying to make sure that I never get kidnaped, again.' The two held each other for a long time, verifying the fact that they both existed. After a long moment, Ranma decided to speak.   


'Thanks, Akane. I've needed to say that for a long time, now. Something that couldn't be said before because of that sorry excuse for a wedding. I still can't believe how our "friends" behaved...' Suddenly, Ranma was no longer sad, but angry at the people who had crashed their wedding. Akane adapted with anger of her own. 

'I can't believe it, either. But you know what?' This time, her voice held playfulness and a mischievous quality. 

'What?' He answered in an equally impish tone of voice. 

'I've got you!' Akane yelled, after she tackled him, in his sitting position, pinning him to the floor. She grasped his wrists with her hands and sat on his stomach to prevent him from moving. While she knew this, of course, would not keep him from getting up, she hoped he would play along. Which he did. 

'Oh no! Whatever shall I do?' Akane laughed a little, and leaned down. 

'Ah, Shut up and kiss me, baka!' She closed the remaining distance between their faces and gently pressed her lips against his, while Ranma tried to lift his head to add his own pressure. He opened his mouth and licked her lips, asking for entrance. Akane granted his request and the two kissed passionately.

Ranma broke the kiss by dropping his head a little, his neck getting tired. 'Don't mind if I do...' Akane looked puzzled for a moment, until he elaborated. 'You said "shut up and kiss me" and I did!' 

She let go of one of his wrists and smacked his arm, slightly. 'Dummy.' 

'Heh! An opening!' Ranma picked her up and flipped her over onto her back, and held her down by her wrist, but he didn't sit on her stomach, he just kneeled by her side. (A/n: And not between her knees, either, cuz I know that's what you were thinking, hentai!) 'You let go of my wrist, foolish girl!' 

Akane was surprised, but only briefly. 'Oh, drat! I'm caught! What to do?' She grinned up at him, as he laced their fingers together above her head. 

'Oh, I dunno. Maybe play the damsel in distress? The only problem is... no one will save you, Mwa ha ha ha!' He leaned in and started nipping at her neck, placing small kisses under her jawbone. He let go of her hands in favor of holding her to his body in a tight embrace, which she readily returned, running her hands lightly over his muscled back. 

Ranma kissed her again, smiling and happy to be with her without that silly shyness thing that left him the last time he visited her room... Speaking of which, one hand moved from her back, to her rib cage, and then up to her breast, where it lightly rested. Akane moaned quietly, and he felt her nipple harden, somewhat. His other hand was about to trace the same path (except under her gi top), when they were (rudely) interrupted by, who else? Nabiki. The two practically flew apart, jumping, leaving two feet of space in between them. 

She slid the dojo door open with a slight smirk on her face. 'There you two are!' Her voice suggested that she had known where they were the moment everything started to happen. 'Kasumi says dinner is ready.' She paused briefly smirking the two red fiances, then continued. 'And if I were you two, I would not be so loud making those noises in the house. If our fathers were here, you guys would be married by now...' She spun on her heel and left, with an extremely amused expression. 

Akane and Ranma looked at each other and sweatdropped. This would not be as easy an arrangement as they thought if their fathers would marry them every time they had a 'moment'. This may call for some planning... 

*** 

Ranma lay on his bed reading his newest manga, when suddenly, a wad of cash was dangled in front of his nose. Absorbed in his reading, he never sensed Nabiki's aura, and did not expect her, least of all, offering money. 

"Gah!" Ranma jumped a bit and yelled at a pleased Nabiki. "Don't DO that!" 

Nabiki just grinned and threw the cash at Ranma. "How much more do I owe you?" 

Ranma took the money and looked at it. What did SHE owe HIM for? He looked up and Nabiki answered the question before he could ask it. 

"I couldn't help myself, I got documentation..." She proceeded to throw him a few well-chosen photographs of Akane and himself, being as intimate as they ever got (a/n: unless you want to count the Kiima incident... I do believe that the cursed birdlady and Ranma had less clothing... in fact, if memory serves, they only had as much as a towel between the two of them...). Ranma gasped at the few pictures and turned a rapid red. 

"Th- this is...!" After a minute of stammering, Ranma finally managed to ask, "How much did you get?" 

Nabiki smiled. "A little of this, a little of that..." she said, vaguely. "I just couldn't help myself. Now, you don't need to worry, I don't really want to sell these, I just want to know that all my work paid off, and there will be a little less collateral damage around the house. Oh, and seeing you sweat is always fun." 

"You're not going to... show these to Akane are you," Ranma asked, thinking that Akane was showing a bit more (ok, WAY too much more) skin than he felt remotely comfortable with. Not to mention that he happened to be touching it in the picture. 

Nabiki grinned more. "No, I don't believe I will, little brother. These just go to the archives. Anyway. I need to know how much else I owe you, or if we can arrange some other form of payment since you don't have any debts currently." 

Ranma sighed. "Well, I'm pretty sure that whatever you could arrange by way of payment would be better than straight-up money, so what do you have in mind?" 

Nabiki smirked. "Smart boy, little brother. Step into my office..." 

*** 

The month or so before the planned payment went pretty well, as far as things concerning Ranma go. In fact that month or so could only be described as blissful and perfect: Ranma had no problems with the following people slash groups: the Kunos, the Amazons, Ukyo, Ryoga, Happosai, Ms. Hinako, the insane fathers, etc. All thanks to the wise and wonderful Nabiki! 

This was all excellent, but not the best part of this wonderful month. No, no. The best part happened to be that Ranma and Akane had gotten closer. Much closer. (Not that way, Hentai!... just kidding, but that's not how I meant it...) They hadn't actually fought over anything. No name-calling (other than the names called out of good fun), no physical fighting (other than the good natured smack on the arm), or other insults (other than the one time Akane decided to cook). Okay, so lets face it, these aspects of their relationship would always be there, just... toned down a bit. And, of course, they wouldn't have it any other way. Without the usual teasing, they just wouldn't be the same people. 

Now, Ranma wasn't sure how, but Nabiki happened to arrange the impossible...

She planned a night completely alone and void of interruption, for Ranma and Akane... 

*** 

Ranma grinned as Nabiki and the others made their way outside with the suitcases. Nabiki's face also held a certain smirk, that said everything and nothing at the same time. Kasumi, as always, smiled with the pretense of cluelessness, but with knowledge and intuition that Nabiki would pay much yen for. This setup could hardly escape her notice, and it's purpose screamed for her attention. She wiped a tear from her eye as she said her goodbyes and hugged Akane. She whispered a 'good luck!' in with her goodbye, and Akane turned red, suddenly realizing that Nabiki was not the only one to know about the evening's schedule. 

Nabiki, like Kasumi, had an offering of words, but this time, it was for Ranma. 'Be careful, little brother. Take it slow, and try to be romantic.' Ranma, nodded, but also went pink. 

As Nabiki and Kasumi drove away, Ranma silently thanked Nabiki for getting the fathers out of the house first, and making it seem like Ranma and Akane were both going with the other two Tendo sisters. 

*** 

Dinner was wonderful. Ranma and Akane sat on opposite ends of the Tendo table enjoying the delectable flavors of order-in gourmet Italian cuisine. Nabiki had excellent taste, and instinct enough to know that if they ate Akane's cooking that night, that nothing would happen, which was the sole purpose of setting up alternate payment. 

Akane wore a lovely, cotton spring dress that was a smattering of pastel colors and flowery themes. It had a box neck, with short, scrunched sleeves covering the rounded corners of her shoulders. It ended an inch or two above her knees. She wore short, pastel heels that were not open toed, but left the top of her foot open. They had a band of cloth that wrapped around her ankle, securing the shoe to her foot. She had a beautiful violet flower behind her ear, and that cute smile that melted the hearts of men. 

Ranma was adorned with another silk Chinese shirt, but this time, it was much like the shirt he wore in the skating competition; it had a black background with red and green dragons twining around it. He sported (a/n: he must be on the runway, the way I'm explaining...) a new pair of black pants, not unlike his usual get up, with the customary Tie Chi shoes. 

As they finished the last of the bites before dessert, the couple's conversation turned sparse and nervous. If their speech was anxious, it was nothing compared to the thoughts running through their minds. A million and one thoughts ran through Ranma's head, and he took a deep breath trying to calm him and steel his will. It was a helpful trick he learned from Akane a few months before. It helped him to remember how hard he had worked and realize that everything was all right. "Okay," he thought. "Alright, this is it." 

'Akane?' 

'Yes, Ranma?' Akane could feel the change in his attitude, and tried to match his seriousness, which wasn't hard, considering the circumstances. 

'I... gotta question to ask ya- and ya don't have ta answer now, but...' He trailed off, hoping she would understand. 

'Shoot.' She could tell that whatever it was, it was important to him. 

'Well, er... I know I don't really need to ask you this, because ya gotta anyway, but...' He pulled out a little box, and kneeled on one knee in front of her. 'I'm not sure that this is how they do it... and I know it's not Tonabata (sp?) day, but-' He rushed through it, and was interrupted. 

'It's okay, Ranma, just... go ahead.' It was her turn to be misty eyed. 

'What I wanted to know was... do ya... would ya wanna... marry me? I mean for real?' Ranma looked up at her expectantly. 

'Yeah, I think I might like that.' Akane fell to her knees to hug him. 'Doomo Arigato, Ranma... iinazuke...' They stayed like that for a few moments, then she spoke again. 'Well... are you up for dessert?' 

Ranma laughed a bit. 'Sure! I could always use dessert!' 

*** 

After dinner, they went for a walk around Nerima, enjoying the fresh air and, most especially, the bright stars. They were not as bright as they could be, since the lights from downtown Tokyo were too bright to leave room for the stars. Ranma and Akane held hands and enjoyed the companionable silence as they strolled down the street. It wasn't often that peace could be found surrounding them, but they were determined to make it last. When they finally returned to the house, it didn't seem like anything could make this night more perfect. 

Ranma helped Akane out of her jacket, and led her upstairs. He stopped in front of her room, staring at her duck nameplate, instead of her eyes. 'Well... this is it...' He paused for a moment, contemplating. 'You know, it's okay with me if we wait. I mean, it's completely up to you.' He turned to find her looking into his eyes. 

'It's now or never,' she said solemnly. 

'You're sure? No doubts?' he prodded, making absolutely sure. 

'Positive.' She had set her mind. 

A/n: Alright, guys, here's where it gets cut off. Sorry, if it were my website, the rest would be up here, but that's not in the cards, so here's my addy for those of you who want the whole thing:

realakane@ragdollworks.zzn.com 

k, thanks, guys! I hope to get some new chapters out on this soon, without having to cut anything. Please review if you haven't already done so. Thanks!


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